When I first aspired to enter the fashion industry, I did not have any industry background besides a three weeks long volunteer school placement at a fashion atelier in my hometown Duesseldorf. I was 15 years old at the time, and when I applied for following internships at glossy Magazines or larger fashion Houses, they declined. But probably because of my age.
However, I relocated to London in 2017 for:
1. the sake of fashion.
2. work. I worked as a nanny at the time, to set a foot onto London grounds and to encounter the city from a more protected viewpoint.
Again, I was looking into internships from PR over Editorial Assistance or Styling to Design. But all of the roles required previous experience or a degree. I remembered that fashion universities offered short courses for one week to a couple of months and scanned the range of courses. The courses, even the short ones were expensive, but I saved up money and applied for a Fashion Journalism Short Course – The University reference itself, would open doors for me.
After that, I did some short internships to get my foot into the fashion industry.
But what is the strategic difference between an internship and short courses? How can you utilize each to ideally set your foot into the industry?
INTERNSHIPS:
In her new book, Giada defines internships as the entry-ticket to the fashion industry.
Without intern background, it is at least more arduous to develop and kick off your career. Interns are the fingers of a company, organizing and overlooking every petite step, mostly backstage. They are the right hand to editors, the helpers to stylists, assistants to merchandisers or second eye to picture retouchers.
Internships allow fashion enthusiasts to gain practical experience before their actual career, pathing their way for the future. They add references to your Curriculum Vitae, ensure an enlargement of an individual’s expertise, strengthen their industry insights and skillset and can even lead to a full-time position or promotion.
If you have not yet interned at a fashion company, but you want to get your foot into the industry door, then GET STARTED and be smart about it. Build a portfolio of personal projects, written works or other projects that emphasize your skills, then have the courage to apply!
See internship positions as ladder steps. You have to take one after one to reach the rooftop of your goal.
Be strategic about internships. Try to obtain broad industry insights through diverse assistant positions – components that assemble your future job. But be thoughtful about the companies you choose to intern with. If you cannot yet get the internship of an editorial assistant at a renowned title, then begin by selecting smaller publications and apply/ intern for those, before you re-apply at the admired title. Many companies/ publications look for skilled interns. Gaining prior experience at a smaller magazine does not decrease but double your chance of getting accepted for the assistant position of your wishes. It is about alternatives that lead you to the final goal.
Change, learn and grow! The more you intern, the easier it will be to grasp what people will expect from you as an individual and to get accepted. You can get insights into the diversity of the industry – having a collection of references designates your drive and early acquired skillset to later job recruiters.
Network. Network. Network. Don’t just be the intern. But be the right hand, the other brain half, the calendar, the acquaintance (to a certain degree). If you are excellent, you will be remembered, or, in the best case, companies might try to keep you. Do not see an internship as just an internship, but a potential and sudden career booster. Everything can change from one day to the other, if you are working hard, engage with new people and stay in touch with everyone. Fashion is about giving and taking. Give, and you will be able to take.
SHORT COURSES:
Short Courses are the educational entry choice, besides University. They are brief, compact and as the name discloses: short. Companies and brands are generally after an individuum with an educational reference and practical experience.
As much as you can be strategic about internships, you can be strategic about short courses. Look into short course options that support your idea of a future role. In the example of the admired Editor-in-Chief position: look for fashion journalism-, fashion management-, fashion psychology-, fashion history- or fashion styling short courses. Make your acquired skillset obvious and desirable for recruiters. Several courses and University names make an impression.
Short Courses allow those, who have not studied a fashion-related degree, to switch industries. You might have studied architecture or mathematics, but now decided to study something related to fashion. There are many important fashion figures who have changed industries and are now very successful. But as the number of people who want to work in fashion increases, the chances are getting smaller and the journey tougher. If this is your case: short courses and internships might be a solution. They strengthen your thrive and furthermore might even show you if you prefer a career over another. Short Courses can be absolved by anyone and can also just act as a side hobby. They give you the freedom to experience, grow and expand.
Short Courses can substantiate every internship you absolved. If you have already interned with a fashion magazine as a writer or editorial assistant, a short course in fashion journalism or communication could, again, emphasize your knowledge in the specific niche and enhance your chances for future positions.
Internships will remain a door opener for future positions, as they give you precise and practical insights into the fashion field. These small industry peaks allow you to build a network within a short time period and experience various job niches. Internships are a career ladder. Short Courses on the other hand act as a smooth entrance secret that might get you an internship faster. It is never too late to absolve short courses and grow your knowledge in new fields.
Be smart about utilizing both tools and create an interplay between the two components. You can change and chose as many niches as you want and only grow your knowledge and expertise.
BE SMART, BE CONSISTENT AND FOCUS ON THE LAST LADDER STEP. And don’t forget: Everyone has started somewhere. The industry seems so exclusive but there are small doorways leading you inside the castle. As soon as you have made this step, your foot is in the door and can only be taken out, if you stop working on your dream. And this will not happen 😉
Words by Lilly Meuser
